Top 10 Things To Make Your Property Shine

Selling your house can often be a stressful task. So why not make your home into a buyer’s dream? Here, I’ve compiled a list of the top things that will make your property shine!

Let’s start of with central heating. You’re probably thinking, ‘c’mon its 2016, everyone has central heating’ but you’d be surprised, not everyone does. In a survey by the Daily Mail, 79% of people said that central heating was the number one must-have feature when it comes to buying a home. Double glazed windows followed closely behind as warmth and energy efficiency were key priorities for those looking to buy a property.

Another feature that will make your property attractive is a garden. If I were buying a property this would be a key one for me. Whether small and easy to manage for downsizers, or large for families, gardens can really help to sell a property. In a recent article written by Deborah Stone, I read that house hunters take just 10 seconds to make an initial decision on whether they like a property or not from its exterior, over a third of them wouldn’t bother looking inside if they didn’t like the outside and 44% would try to knock at least 20% off the asking price if the exterior was not to their standard. From this you can really see how a garden would make a big difference, especially if well maintained and tidy. Barclays put a ‘well-manicured lawn’ at the top of their must-have list for an attractive property.

Off-road parking is another one that drives people to your property. Pardon the pun! Homebuyers considered off-road parking to actually be more essential and desired than a garage. With more and more cars on the road than ever before, off-road parking is obviously going to be becoming more popular. Not only does this give home owners a sense of security that their car isn’t parked by the side of the road but it also could save time that may be wasted driving up and down roads trying to find a parking spot.

Bathroom features play an important role when it comes to selling a property. It is found that buyers are often attracted to bathrooms with a bath, along with a separate shower cubicle. Although this may take up more room, I do think this makes a bathroom a little bit more luxurious and so I can see why house hunters may be more attracted to this set up. This leads on to the next must-have, en-suite bathrooms! This is often a game changer when it comes to selling properties and gives your home something different, making it feel slightly more up-market and special.

Now obviously there are some things that you won’t be able to do to your property, like pick it up and move it to a better location for example; but it has been shown that properties closer to local shops and amenities, are more attractive and sought after than those that are not. However, to house hunters, this is a lot less essential than the things already mentioned. So it’s ok, your house will still sell even if you don’t live 2 minutes away from Tesco!

In this very digital age, a strong internet connection and reliable mobile phone service have become an essential, along with a good TV signal. If your home has all of these, it’s the perfect honey-pot for someone really into digital tech, or a family with social media mad teenagers! This links to the fact that a huge proportion of homebuyers now look for a lounge/living room big enough to fit a large flat screen TV.

Finally, no family with young children is going to want to live next door to crazy students who party all night (unless of course you are a crazy student who loves to party all night)! Neighbours become very important when looking for a home, and if you’ve got lovely neighbours, you’re in for a treat as your house is going to be much more desirable than if it didn’t!

Would it help you to know how much your home is worth? Whether you are considering selling, or just out of interest one of our valuation specialist can visit your home without obligation to provide you with an up to date valuation for sale or for rentals. Its easy to arrange, simply complete our online form and one of our team will call you back. Alternatively, drop into one of our branches or give us a call.

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